Until the End of Days
by Rhonda M. W
Summary: A Narnian love story. PeterxOC Please review. I'll just say it here: I own nothing except for Ena, her family and the story line.
1. In Narnia

"Peter, we have a visitor," Lucy cried excitedly, running into her eldest brother's bedchamber, "And she is most unusual; unusual but also lovely."

Peter smiled ruefully at his sister from where he sat on a finely shaped wooded chair beside a window overlooking the sea. "You still sound like an overexcited nine year old, Lu, but I'm not sure I would want you any different."

Lucy rolled her eyes, trotted over to her brother and pulled eagerly at his sleeve. "Do hurry. We won't be told anything until you meet her."

"Alright, alright," Peter chuckled, "I'll be down in a moment. Just let me make myself look presentable." By this Peter meant putting on a clean shirt and fixing his tousled hair.

"Okay," Lucy said turning towards the door, "But do hurry, Peter."

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The first that Peter noticed about the young woman before him was the beautiful white wings that grew from her shoulder blades. They were slightly transparent so that one could see the fine bones that made them sturdy, but the sunlight that filtered through them was faint rainbows. Her wings were also the only part of the young woman that was not covered in a fine layer of dust. Her hair was in knots and the clothing she had on was ripped, patched and dirty. She looked unsure what to do and dropped her eyes as Peter entered the great hall where she stood with his siblings, a Centaur guard and Tumnus the Faun. Peter felt a pang of surprise and sympathy for the young women who looked so close to his eldest sister's age and had obviously been through so much to arrive at his castle.

"What is your name?" Peter asked gently when he was standing in front of her. The women's eyes darted up to him for a moment, then back to the ground.

"Ena," She told him softly, "I have no other name, nor title, nor does my family. Though I would like it known that we have and always will be loyal followers of first Aslan and then the royal family and Narnia, Sir." She looked at Peter when she said the last statement and he noticed her eyes were a bright honey brown that made everything else in the room dull by comparison.

"All loyal followers are most welcome," He told her with a kind smile, "And whatever your purpose for coming to us is it can wait until you have bathed and we are seated around tonight's dinner." As Peter said these words he looked into her soft hazel eyes. He looked closer, but this must have caused her some discomfort because she again dropped her eyes.

Peter cleared his throat and looked at a faun chambermaid who had wondered into the hall to see the newcomer. "Can you help Lady Ena to a proper bath and a suitable dress?" he asked the maid, who nodded cheerfully.

As the stocky faun led her off Ena turned to Peter, "Sir, I have no title to grant me being called a Lady."

Peter smiled at her, "In Narnia you do."

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About an hour later Ena descended the stairs of the Grand dining hall of Cair Paravel after a warm bathe and change into the most beautiful and comfortable dress she had ever seen. Queen Susan had chosen it for her since Ena had admitted to not knowing what to choose. The result was a dark maroon dress that was cut low enough in the back to accommodate for her wings.

The centre of the dining hall was filled with an elegant table long enough to seat a hundred diners. On this night, however, there were only six seated on the side near to the door Ena would enter through. Peter sat at the head of the table with Edmund to his left and Susan and Lucy to his right in that order. Tumnus sat beside Lucy and an empty seat down from Edmund a lovely willowy driad was seated. Ena stepped so quietly that only the driad heard her footfalls before Ena entered the room. The driad turned her head slightly to one side and glanced towards the door. Peter, who had been sitting rather solemnly compared with the lively conversation of his friends and siblings, noticed the driad's movements, so was among the first to notice Ena.

Peter scrambled to stand up when Ena entered and the others followed his suit. She looked completely different from the dirty, scared young woman that had stood in front of him earlier. The maid must have told her some of the traditions also for Ena made a clumsy attempt to curtsy when she entered. A moment later she tried to curtsy again, but this time opened her wings and fluttered them lightly, lifting her a few inches off of the floor. She curtsied again in midair much more gracefully. Lucy grinned joyfully and clapped her hands together once, which made her look a few years younger than sixteen, "Oh that was the most beautiful curtsy I have ever seen!"

Ena blushed and, upon Edmund's motion to the seat between him and the driad, took her seat, the others sitting along with her. Peter noticed, with some amusement, Ena glancing curiously at the driad beside her and wondered if she had ever seen such a creation before. The cooks brought their dinner in right then so for several moments everyone was busy passing the plates around and getting their servings.

"Ena, May I ask a question without fear of offending you?" Susan asked looking up from cutting a piece of wild boar. Ena swallowed her mouthful of greens before she answered.

"I cannot promise that I will not be offended for I don't know what you are going to ask me," Ena replied, "But I will not be angry and will answer your question in full honesty, your Highness."

Susan smiled, "Queen Susan will do nicely enough. And my question is what exactly are you? In our years in Narnia we have not seen any being such as you. And also where do you come from?"

"I am half fairy and half human," Ena replied, "Do you know about fairies, Queen Susan, or should I explain the traits of my race?"

Edmund interrupted with a smile, "The only fairies we know of are from the stories of our own world and I doubt that they are completely true."

"Fairies are immortal beings who die only thru murder and the call of Aslan. Our wings, though they appear fragile, are stronger than any forged metal, but flexible and lighter than a bird's. The best fairies can control the weak minded thru their songs." Ena glanced at Peter with a small smile, "The eyes of a fairy turn different shades depending on our emotions, a trait, I believe, was noticed by High King Peter earlier."

Peter nodded to acknowledge the truth of her statement, "I thought it may have been my imagination. Being half fairy how many of these traits do you possess besides your lovely wings and your eyes?"

Ena smiled "Thank you, your majesty. Those are the only traits that I posses, though my wings are not quite as strong as a full fairy." She shook her head ruefully, "They can bruise if hit with enough force and keep me from flying."

"It must be wonderful to fly," Lucy mused outloud.

Ena nodded slowly, "It is. To be kept from flight is almost equal to not being able to walk."

"To answer the second question that was asked of me," Ena continued after a moment, glancing at each of the royal family for a brief moment, "My family is originally from Narnia. I, however, have never lived in this country."

Ena paused. She put down her fork and twisted her hands together. "When the White Witch took over Narnia my parents, as well as most of the other fairies and part fairies, fled to Archenland. However we weren't safe from there as we supposed. The Calormen attacked the country and captured my race. I have lived my whole life in slavery."

Tears filled Ena's dark blue eyes and she looked down for a moment. Edmund put his hand on her shoulder while the others looked at each other with worry. After a few moments and a couple deep breaths Ena offered Edmund a small grateful smile.

"I have much more that needs to be told, but I would rather finish it later," Ena said, turning her gaze towards Peter, "if your majesties would not mind."

They all assured her that she could tell the rest of her story when she felt able and the royal family and their friends continued with their meal.

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The following morning Peter walked out of Cair Paravel toward the stable just after the sun rose over Narnia. He was usually the only person who was awake at such an early hour so he was surprised to see Ena patting the nose of Susan's elegant black mare. Peter smiled at her disheveled appearance. Her dark brown hair was braided loosely so that some wavy strands fell around her face and her light blue dress was slightly wrinkled. "Good morning," Peter greeted her.

She jumped back and her wings which had been folded neatly against her back flung open. The horse shied away and eyed Ena and Peter suspiciously, trotting a few paces away from the paddock fence. Ena fumbled through a curtsy, "Good morning, Your Majesty," She greeted him stumbling over the words in her surprise, "I hope you don't mind me being here. I find horses so comforting." Her wide eyes were a very bright green.

Peter grinned, "That's perfectly fine, Ena," he assured her, "And you don't have to curtsy every time we meet. It's a bit tiresome."

"Thank you, your majesty," Ena said, with obvious relief, "I'm not used to having to curtsy."

"And, please call me King Peter," Still looking at her Peter leaned comfortably against the paddock fence, "That sounds more personable. After all, my brothers and sistersare called the same." He grinned at her boyishly, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling.

Ena returned the smile, if a bit shyly. Susan's horse stepped back to the paddock fence and pushed her finely shaped head against Ena's shoulder. Ena fell back a step, but good-naturally rubbed the mare's ears.

"Do you know how to ride?" Peter asked, "I take my horse out every morning and was going to head out soon."

"Yes, I can ride," Ena answered, "Taking care of and training my master's horses was one of my chief chores."

"Perhaps, than you would like to join me?"

Ena grinned and her eyes lightened to clear amber, "I would like that very much, King Peter."

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Less than an hour later Peter and Ena were mounted on a large bay stallion and a lean gray stallion. Peter led them through a path in the thick forest that surrounded Cair Paravel at an easy walk to let the horses stretch and warm up. At first Peter had kept glancing back to be sure that Ena wasn't having any problems. After a few glances, though, he realized that while Ena may not have known how to curtsy properly, she did know how to ride a horse. Ena was glancing curiously around the forest, her body moving easily with her mount. The horse snorted playfully at a leaf that was drifting past his nose and Ena smiled and patted his arched neck.

When they reached a wide, flower dotted meadow on the other side of the woods Peter pulled his horse to a halt and waited for Ena to pause beside him. "How about a race to that big oak tree in the corner?" He asked with a challenging grin. Ena returned the smile, "As long as you don't mind losing, King Peter."

As one both riders heeled their horses into a full gallop, raising out of their saddles and leaning forward to get their weight off of the horses' backs. The only sounds were the horse's hoof beats and rhythmic snorts. Peter drew well ahead of Ena and her mount for several strides. He laughed with pure joy and looked straight between his horse's well-shaped ears. _I'm going to win this race. Just a few more minutes._

A moment later Ena's mount shot past him to his right, a blur of gray and blue. Peter pushed his horse into a higher gear and drew even to the other horse's hindquarters, then side, then shoulders. By the time the two riders came passed the large oak tree Peter was ahead by half a neck.

"Oh, that was wonderful!" Ena exclaimed after both horses changed to a high stepping walk, patting her mount's neck. Peter agreed with a wide grin. For several long minutes Ena and Peter were silent, catching their breathes and enjoying the warm sunshine. A rabbit called hello to them as they walked by and a badger waved grandly. They passed by three driad dancing elegantly amid the trees, their long arms and wispy hair swirling around them. To Peter, who knew all those who called out to them and had seen many driad dances these were everyday occurrences; to Ena they were like the remains of a dream, still drifting around her.

"This is exactly how I imagined Narnia being," Ena commented with a long sigh, "I could so easily go on with this dream forever, but I cannot waste anymore time on my own pleasures. It's time that you knew why I am here."


	2. Before Ena

"Let's sit," Peter suggested, dismounting his horse, "Just take the bridle off and let Morn graze while we talk. The horses won't go anywhere and if they do a driad will catch them for us." Peter was already removing his horse's bridle as he spoke. The stallion snorted with obvious pleasure and wandered off into the meadow. He immediately dropped his head and began to tear out hunks of grass with his large teeth.

Ena silently nodded, dismounted and removed Morn's bridle. The horse shook his head a little, sending his thick mane scattering across his ears, and joined his grazing stable mate. Peter sat down on the soft grass at the edge of the meadow they had just gallop over facing Cair Paravel and motioned for Ena to join him.

Ena sat beside him and stared thoughtfully at the great Narnian castle for a moment.

"I've been told stories of Narnia for as long as I can remember," Ena plucked a blade of grass and twirled it between her fingers, "My father loves Narnia with his whole heart and has passed that love to me. I've went to sleep many nights with visions of the Great Lion and of animals who spoke and midnight dances among the trees. Sometimes when my master would be in an especially bad temper and would yell and raise his hands to me I would close my eyes and think of Narnia. Being here is like a dream."

Ena looked at the blade of grass in her hands, "Before I was born, when my parents were still children, the White Witch destroyed the great apple tree that protected Narnia and her dark reign began." She paused and glanced at Peter as if to see if he understood her tale thus far.

"I remember that story," Peter said nodding, "Mr. Beaver told Susan, Edmund, Lucy and I the story of Narnia's first days and the great tree; of how Sir Digory and Lady Polly flew with the winged horse Fledge to retrieve the tree's seed. It is one of my favorite tales."

Ena smiled a bit, "Mine too. When the White Witch's reign began my parents, their families, and many of the other fairies and part fairies fled to Archenland, as I told you at dinner last night."

"You said that they were captured by the Calormen, correct?"

"Yes," Ena clarified with a nod, "The Archelanders tried to fight off the Calormen from taking us, but a large part of Archeland's strength, which I am sure you know, is their alliance to Narnia. Archenland obviously did not have at the time of the White Witch's rule. Bless them, they did try, but they failed. My father sneaked out from his mother's watchful eye to watch the battle. He told me since that he partly regrets seeing the battle, but mostly he is glad to have seen such greatness among his people. His father fought and died that day, as did many other fine Archenland men and Narnian fairies. My father is, to this day, is very proud of my grandfather's valor and has told me often that 'It took ten men to take down a fairy as great as Grandfather. If there had been more great warriors as him in that battle we would have won the day.'

As it was there were not many other warriors like my grandfather, or otherwise the Calormen had more. After the battle, the warriors were killed because it was thought that they were too dangerous and strong.

Knowing my race were Narnians and immortal they sold us off as slaves; for a very high dollar I may add. I suppose one can be expected to pay a lot for a slave who will live forever, or even a slave who will live for hundreds of years and be able to work most of those. I am an oddity, King Peter; I am one of only a handful of part fairies that I know of who age normally as a human does."

"How do you know?" Peter asked, curiously.

"Fairies do not get ill. I have been ill many times in my life and almost died as a very young child from a high fever. Furthermore, I have reached the time when I my aging should slow down quite drastically and it has not. My father looks more like my elder sibling than my parent. I don't why it is that way for me."

Peter nodded for her to continue and apologized for the interruption, which Ena waved away nonchalantly.

"My father has told me often of the auction where my race was sold with such respect as is given to dumb oxen or swine. He remembers clearly that day though it was over a hundred years ago because that is the first day that he saw my mother and the last day he saw his mother and younger sister, Graces."

Peter thought of Lucy, his little sister who at sixteen was still the light of his day, who he would die protecting. Peter felt the same about Edmund and Susan, but it was a different sort of protectiveness with Lucy. He couldn't imagine being forced away from such a person. And to have already lost a father and be forced from a mother; it was all so sorrowful that Peter felt a lump swell in his throat.

Ena seemed affected as well by the sad narration, her voice sounded constricted as she continued. "They, my father and his family, stayed together as they led fairies up on stage to be auctioned off. Sometimes, very small children would be sold with their parents as a pair, or two children would be sold together. My father told me that it was a worse thing to watch than the battle because he was apart of it and it was not a matter of if you would lose someone you love, it was a matter of when. All around women wailed and begged to go with their children. Children cried loudly and many were on their knees begging to stay with their parents. Many were kicked; all were yelled at and none received their wishes. Father told Graces not to beg or wail because he did not know if he would be able to restrain himself if someone hurt her. The men who were left just stood protectively with their families; some tried to fight and were swiftly killed.

My father, I'm proud to say, just kissed his sister and mother and whispered comforting words to them when he was called to be auctioned. They both wept, but Graces kept her word and did not beg or scream for him to stay. As fate would have my father and the woman who would become my mother, called Catalena, were auctioned off as a pair. Father says that he would have gone mad if it not been for the friendship and eventual love that would grow with my Mother. She had lost her parents also and a twin sister and older brother, so was in need of friendship as much, or possibly more than, my Father.

Many years later they were married in secret by a fairy slave who had once been an advisor and had wed many fairy couples in his long life. When I was born a few years afterward Grulune, the son of their original master, became very angry at the thought of another mouth to feed among his servants. As a result of his anger my mother was sold when I was still an infant. My father was thought the more useful of the two."

Ena paused and closed her eyes painfully, "It broke Father's heart to not have her there. He didn't even get to bid her good bye; Grulune sold her when he was at work in the fields. A friend of my Father's told me he came back to the slave quarters at the end of the day to find me crying in my basket and my mother gone. His friend told me he just held me in his arms for many hours looking only half alive. I've always wondered what my mother is like, but, I have always been afraid of hurting him more with idle questions about her, so I've never asked."

Both were silent for a moment, looking at the beautiful countryside and mighty Cair Paravel standing strong and protective over them. It occurred to Peter that the day was too lovely for such a horrible story as the one Ena was telling. The sun was too bright and felt too comforting against his skin, the breeze was too refreshing and the meadow, with its flowers and swaying grass, was too brilliant. Peter wished a cloud would cover the sun, that the breeze would blow harder or not at all, and that the birds who sang in the forest would cease their songs.

He shook his head sadly and glanced at Ena. She was clenching and unclenching her hands in her lap, her face looking downward and slightly away from him. As Peter watched he thought he saw a teardrop slide down one cheek, but Ena didn't seem inclined to weep. Perhaps all he saw was a trick of the early morning sunshine.

"But you escaped." Peter commented softly still studying her. He knew the obvious answer, but felt the need to ask anyway. Though his statement was not spoken as a question, there was a inquiry buried within those three simple words.

Ena glanced at him slightly and he saw her eyes were such a dark, deep blue that if they were almost black. "Yes," Ena confirmed, seeming to understand the unspoken question, "I escaped."


End file.
